Put out the good china, because "Downton Abbey" is back for a third season on "Masterpiece Classic." But first, the special "Secrets of Highclere Castle" explores the edifice that serves as the setting for the British-made period drama. (KOCE, 7 and 9 p.m.)

What a way to go! A barbeque-centric service complete with a smoker-shaped casket is among the unusual send-offs featured in the special "Best Funeral Ever." (TLC, 10 p.m.)

MONDAY

Alabama's Crimson Tide and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame vie to see which team is tops in college football in the "2013 Discover BCS National Championship." Oh, doctor, if only Keith Jackson were calling the play-by-play for this one. (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.)

TUESDAY

Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown and other historical figures who fought to rid this nation of the scourge of slavery are among "The Abolitionists" portrayed in this new three-part docudrama on "American Experience." (KOCE, 9 p.m.)

Wow, Timothy Olyphant has really let himself go. Oh, wait, that's just actor-comic Patton Oswalt, above, set to join the cast of "Justified" when the country-fried cop drama returns for a fourth season. (FX, 10 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY

Famous faces plead mistaken identity on a new "I Get That a Lot," pseudo-celebs take the plunge in the special "Stars in Danger: The High Dive," and fan favorites are feted at the "People's Choice Awards 2013." (CBS, 8 p.m.; Fox, 8 p.m.; CBS, 9 p.m.)

THURSDAY

Films from "Argo" to "Zero Dark Thirty" will be in contention at "The 18th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards," where Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" leads the pack with 13 nominations. (KTLA, 8 p.m.)

So you're not some stick-thin Victoria's Secret model. Fear not, the "Double Divas" have got you covered — but just barely — in this reality series about an intimate-apparel boutique in Atlanta. (Lifetime, 10 and 10:30 p.m.)

FRIDAY

She could doubtless play "Iron Man" and do so convincingly, so it was hardly surprising when Meryl Streep picked up a third Oscar, for her turn as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 2011 bio-pic "The Iron Lady." (Showtime, 8 p.m.)

SATURDAY

Girl still just wants to have fun: The new reality series "Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual" catches up with the singer and former MTV fixture from back in the 1980s when MTV still showed music videos. (WE, 9 and 9:30 p.m.)